


Happy Days

by mmmelmoth



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Asexual Characters, Everyone is Queer, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Nobody is Dead, Pride, empowerment, happy queers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-19
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-05-09 00:50:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14706002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mmmelmoth/pseuds/mmmelmoth
Summary: To escape from the endless Infinity War depression I wrote our favorite Avengers attending a LA Pride march and being wholesome.





	Happy Days

 

“Hold still!” Natasha sat cross-legged facing Sam on her bed, biting her lip as she drew swift lines with her dark purple lipstick across his face.

“I haven’t moved in minutes, woman.” He gave back and tried to look behind him without turning his head to address Steve: “How much time we got left?” “We’re leaving in ten.” “Ten’s fine.” With one final swish, Natasha finished and eased out of her seat. “You boys sure you don’t want anything?”

“I’m _wearing_ a thing.” Bucky replied from next to Steve and smothered down the tank top he’d bought for the occasion. “I’ll have a little flag. But just about yea big?” Steve surrendered and took Sam’s place on the bed. Sam, who had walked to a mirror in the mean time, raised his voice to complain. “You can’t even see it! The color’s too dark!”

“For god’s sake, Wilson, give it some time to dry!” Nat retorted and returned to Steve from her quick detour to her makeup table.

“Just the flag. Small.” Steve insisted and she rolled her eyes, then settled down in front of him and got to work.

 

* * *

 

 

“I can’t believe you let her put eye-shadow on you, son!” Sam howled with laughter, earning a scowl from Bucky.

“It looks good on him, though.” Steve replied, laughing, and slung an arm around the shoulders of his grumpy boyfriend. They were walking in the middle of the Los Angeles Pride Parade, and the weather was on their side. “Shut up” Bucky mumbled and attempted not to smile looking at their feet.

“It looks good on you and you know it!” Placing a sloppy kiss on his cheek, Steve grinned more broadly. “Cute gay couple alert, people, move!” Sam announced, receiving laughs from everyone around them. The whole point of this walk was gay couples and queer people being everywhere.

“Wilson, I think now’s a good moment.” Natasha interrupted.

“Now? But we still have like four miles to go!” Sam complained, and was shut up when she started climbing on his back. One of her boots met with his cheek and he groaned, and they struggled to find a stable position with her feet on his shoulders, without either of them loosing balance. Steve and Bucky watched the scene play out, along with some spectators. “I’m good”, Nat announced, towering over all of them, “Hand me my flag?”

Bucky opened his "stupid, hipster" (Sam’s words) Fjällräven Kanken backpack that completed his man-bun-and-tank-top-look and forcefully retrieved a lot of polychrome fabric from it. Polychrome more like monochrome and purple. When he handed it to Natasha, she thanked him with a courtesy that made Sam swear.

“You got my bullhorn too, James?” “I still don’t get why you didn’t bring your own backpack…” Bucky mumbled, but found that too.

“Listen here, party people!” Nat shouted, the asexual flag dancing in the wind behind her, and the bullhorn carried her voice over the crowd, “Some of you seem to forget we exist, so I’d like to say We’re Here!” “Here!” Sam bellowed, his voice strong enough even without reinforcement. “We’re Queer!” Nat went on. (“Queer!” Sam echoed.) “We aced high school, college and life!” “We aced it!” Sam agreed loudly, and whispers and laughs became audible around them. “We’re a valid part of this community! Like you all are!” “Hella valid!” “So let me hear us ace people! Gray, demi, aro!” “Let’s hear it!” Some shy shouts and cheers came from the crowd. “Let me hear you!” The cheers and shouts grew less shy. “Now let me hear everyone who supports us!” And the whole crowd for as far as she could see hooted, applauded and yelled.

Natasha felt a surge in her stomach that would’ve lifted a grown elephant off its feet.

Once they had calmed down, she shouted with a huge grin: “I support you all too! Thanks, LA!”

They walked on with the insane feeling of solidarity spurring each of their steps. The next time Nat raised her voice, she shouted: “How about you give it up for the couple on my left, Steve and Bucky! They’ve been together since before it was cool and this is their first pride!” People cheered and Bucky awkwardly raised his hand in a wave. Steve just smiled and pulled him closer, as if that was possible.

“How are you doing, boys?” Nat asked, the bullhorn switched off again.

“There’s lots of people.” Bucky replied at the same time as Steve said: “This is brilliant!”

“You’re both not wrong. I’m good too, by the way. Thanks for asking.” Sam interjected sardonically, resulting in Natasha aggressively rubbing his hair. “Your shoulders alright, Wilson?” “No, they hurt. Hence the tone. But I’m making it work. You’re heavier than you look, I bet it’s those boots.” “I had a big breakfast.” Nat replies and scrunched up her nose, mocking Steve. Bucky grinned up at her.

They were a funny looking group: A beefy hipster whose tank top said _as straight as boiled spaghetti_ ; his boyfriend with the bisexuality flag on his cheek; and the two aces stacked over one another, the black one with his face entirely painted at the bottom and on top the ginger one in the tutu. Here, they fit in perfectly. The air smelled like summer flowers and sunscreen, and maybe this right here was the final piece that had been missing in the puzzle of their lives.

 

* * *

 

 

After a long time of marching and shouting, they stopped and sat down in a park. The group made a makeshift picnic blanket of the rainbow flag in Bucky’s backpack and watched the others around them rejoice. “Some pork chops would be great right now.” Sam mumbled, leaning back. Natasha was the only one still up on her feet, jumping impatiently. “You have my jukeboxes? My shoes to change into?” She asked Bucky, and he started rummaging in his bag.

Her stomach tickled in anticipation as she sat down to pull off her boots while Sam connected his phone to the boxes. “You ready, Nat?” Steve asked.

“All of you should know I was born ready,” she retorted and tied up the ribbons of her black ballet shoes. First she cracked her joints, then stretched a little and finally gave Sam a nod, picking up the bullhorn once more. She switched it on, cleared her throat and announced: “I’d like to perform a piece called _I’m not broken, fuck off_. Thank you.”

In one motion, she threw the bullhorn onto the lawn and picked up her ace flag. While the first few notes of Fall Out Boy’s _Champion_ rang through the park, she strode like a queen with the flag blowing in the wind behind her. Heads turned, people hushed each other. And as soon as Patrick Stump started singing, she began her choreography.

Delicate movements and steps slowly turned into leaps, pirouettes and even flic-flacs. For the next 3 minutes and 12 seconds, Natasha utterly lost herself in the song, dancing on the lawn with the flag around her, her hair bouncing along to the fast rhythm. She didn’t even realize how many people gathered around her until the song was over and she finished in the same sovereign stance she’d started out in. Instantly, the crowd around her burst out clapping and cheering – not the sort of cheers she’d received at other ballet performances: teenage boys attempting to call dibs – and it felt like for once, everyone was really seeing her for who she was and applauding that.

She couldn’t help to burst out into the broadest smile she’d probably ever worn, and she hugged the flag to her body. _Yes, this is what pride feels like._

Bucky hugged her from behind and pressed a nuzzled kiss to the top of her head, “That was amazing, kiddo.” And she replied: “I know!” Steve and Sam joined the group hug, which lead to only more supportive applause.

“If I’d known what the atmosphere would be like, I would’ve insisted we go way sooner.” Steve admitted once they had untangled themselves.

“I told you! It’s more fun with you than just as an ace duo with Mr Wilson here. No offence, Sam.” Nat replied and punched Sam’s shoulder.

“I feel offended.” Sam folded his arms and pretended to pout. That’s when they were approached by a couple. The girl had black-to-pink ombré hair, and the guy wore a bright shirt in the pansexual colors: blue, yellow and pink. “Hey” He said awkwardly, and the girl on his side rolled her eyes at him, “I’m Peter, and I just wanted to say your dance was really neat.”

“Thanks!” Natasha smiled honestly. Maybe this was one of the most sincere compliments that she’d ever received, after her dance had definitely been the most sincere one she’d ever performed.

“I’m a, uh, very enthusiastic dancer too.” Peter added. “Though he’s not quite as talented as you are.” His girlfriend interjected with a big grin at him. “This is Gamora. She’s always right.”  She was introduced by Peter.

“I’m Natasha. This is Steve and Bucky, and that’s Sam. Nice to meet you.” “You wanna sit down with us?” Sam proposed, and when Gamora shrugged, Peter nodded: “Sure, thanks!”

As it turned out, Peter and Gamora had snacks, and within seconds, the video Sam had made of Nat’s performance had gone viral on the internet. “This is the proudest I’ve ever felt at a Pride!” She remarked, and Gamora smiled. “Well, you have lots of reasons to be. Also, you guys seem like such a great friend group.”

“We’re just a gay couple and two asexuals.” Sam shrugged.

“I’m bisexual, for the record. As you can see by this flag here.” Steve turned to show off his cheek, and when everyone looked at Bucky, expecting him to say something, so he raised an eyebrow. “Nah, I’m full gay.” Everyone laughed, and Steve kissed him heartily. Like when they first kissed, Bucky’s stomach went nuts, only this time he didn’t have to worry about anyone seeing them, anyone judging them, anyone thinking they had something to say about their relationship. Even if everyone saw them this time, the assurance he received from all around him that this was fine seemed to make up for all the fights he’d had with strangers, for all the times he’d been called out. He kissed him back with all of who he was and knew that this right here was a memory to hold on to.

For the less happy days. 


End file.
